Engaged
by Nostalgique Romantique
Summary: Contains spoilers for "The Movie in the Making." Cam and Arastoo share their news with family and friends. Story set after S11E18, before S11E19.
1. The Game Plan

**Hey readers! So, I was scrolling along on FF under the "Bones" section, and I noticed an unusual lack of Cam/Arastoo stories. I'm well aware that they're not the main couple in the show or anything, but I thought that their engagement deserved at least a little more fanfare than I've seen on here so far. So, given the fact that I haven't written anything in a while, and I've got some free time, I figured I'd take a stab at a story about how they announce their engagement to their friends and family.**

 **Chapter 1: The Game Plan**

Cam woke up to the sound of running water. Still groggy, she opened her eyes and looked at the clock. According to the placement of its hands, it was 10:37am. Normally, she would be surprised. She'd always been more of an early riser… Although, given the events of the previous day (and night, for that matter), she was surprised she hadn't slept until noon.

The thought of the last twenty-four hours were enough to set Cam's mind adrift. One thought replayed itself in her mind over and over again, not once failing to make her smile. She, Camille Saroyan, was _engaged…_ the thought was surreal. After all, she had never really imagined herself to be the marrying type. She supposed it was like her father said when she brought Seeley over as a fake boyfriend. _You won't know whether or not you're the marrying type until you meet someone that makes you want to get married... or not get married, but stay together. Some couples just prefer to stay together minus the piece of paper, and that's fine, too. It's funny how love has a way of clearing these things up, sweetheart… and I believe it'll be cleared up for you, too, when the time is right._ She smiled to herself. For all the manly bravado her father put on, he sure was wise about all that stuff. He had been right… Arastoo was that someone and their love for each other had made the path seem so clear in that moment. After all, she was hardly the type to just go proposing in the heat of the moment. But it had happened, and damn, was she glad it had.

Cam was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice the door to the bathroom opening. In fact, she was only shaken from her reverie by the shift of weight on the bed when Arastoo sat down, still clad only in a wet towel. She gasped and jumped about a foot in the air, causing Arastoo to laugh softly and press a kiss to her temple.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he said, still chuckling a bit. "But I've got to admit, that was pretty funny."

"No, not funny," she said, gently pushing him away and trying in vain to suppress her smile. "You almost gave me a heart attack! I figured you'd at least wait to try to kill me until after we're married. At least then you'd get all my money…"

Arastoo laughed and shook his head, then proceeded to pull her in for a chaste kiss. "Yes, that's why I accepted your proposal. My plan is to marry you, scare you to death, then run off with all your money. I couldn't have possibly accepted be because I love you or anything…"

Cam smiled at that. "Of course not," she said. She leaned in for a kiss. This one was longer and deeper, and may very well have escalated into a repeat of the previous night, but they were interrupted by the alert tone of Cam's phone. Reluctantly enough, they pulled apart, and she reached for her phone on the nightstand.

"Huh," she said. There was slightly confused look on her face. "It's a message from the producers of 'America in Profile.'"

"What does it say?" asked Arastoo.

"Our episode should be cut together by tonight, and they were wondering if we wanted an advance copy."

"Are you going to take them up on their offer?"

"It doesn't look like I have much choice," she said. "They CC'd this email to the others, too, and I know they'll want to see it as soon as-"

Cam was cut off by another alert tone from her phone, this time accompanied by one from Arastoo's.

"Looks like you were right," Arastoo sighed. "This is an email from Angela inviting us all to a special screening of it tonight on the big screen in her office."

"Oh God," Cam moaned, closing her eyes and hanging her head. "I thought we'd have a few days to tell them about out engagement, maybe even go get the ring from your storage locker… Now we have to organize a lunch or something before we meet up tonight, and God only knows half of them won't be able to make it, and then we'll just have to tell the ones missing it over the phone, or-"

"Cam, calm down… maybe we don't have to tell them before tonight."

"…wait, what?" Cam asked, raising her head to look at Arastoo.

"Maybe we can just go, let the episode play out, and let them find out when the clip plays at the end. That way, we don't have to think up any big speech or plan any hasty outings…"

"That could work… and it spares us any questions about the proposal."

"Exactly," Arastoo said, a smirk playing across his lips.

"See, I knew there was a reason I proposed to you," Cam replied, pressing a kiss to his lips. She pulled back, typed a quick confirmation to the producers and then to Angela.

"Now that that's settled," Arastoo said, rolling over so that he was on top of Cam, "I believe we were in the middle of something?"

 **All reviews are welcome; the good, the bad, and the ugly. I really want to know what works about my writing, what I can improve on, and anything else that might make my future writing endeavors more enjoyable to readers. Enjoy!**


	2. Show Time, part 1

**Chapter 2: Showtime, Part 1**

With a turn of the key, the engine of Arastoo's car came to a halt. He and Cam sat in silence for a moment, each taking some time to get their thoughts and emotions together.

Arastoo could hardly contain his smile. One day in the lab a while before their brief breakup, he had told Cam that he wanted to tell the whole world about their then-secret relationship. Though the sentiment had been intended for that situation, he felt strongly that it still applied here. Arastoo would shout from it from the rooftops if he could; Camille Saroyan had proposed to _him_ for goodness' sakes! He knew that he needed to get himself under control before they went inside, or he would ruin the announcement before it happened. On top of that, it was clear that Cam was nervous; his excitement could not be making her feel any better. If anything, she would start to feel bad for feeling nervous. So, Arastoo decided to keep his child-like jubilance under wraps for the time being. Apparently, though, that was easier said than done.

Cam, on the other hand, was a mess. She had always made it a point to keep her work life and her personal life separate. That was how she liked things, thank you very much. With that distinct separation, life stayed just a little bit less messy... Then again, who was she kidding? Her coworkers at the lab had come to be some of her _closest friends_. She wanted to tell her _friends_ about her engagement to Arastoo, but doing so would inevitably bring it into their workplace discussion. She would not be able to go a day without hearing about her wedding until it actually happened… but was that really such a bad thing? After all, she was excited, and Arastoo seemed over the moon. Besides, would a little extra friendly attention really be that bad? Keeping up the boss appearance to her closest friends got tiring sometimes… For once, she decided, she would let it herself slip out of her boss persona; let her friends be her friends, regardless of work positions. _Dr. Saroyan and Mr. Vaziri can wait,_ she thought to herself. _Tonight is about Cam and Arastoo, and the rest of our friends who are excited about being on TV._ Now, if only her rapidly-beating heart and tied-up intestines would get the hint.

With those decisions in mind, Cam and Arastoo took steadying breaths and turned to each other. Upon seeing that they had done exactly the same thing at exactly the same time, they laughed aloud.

"You ready?" asked Arastoo as gently as he could muster. _Remember, she's nervous. She needs your support right now._

"As I'll ever be," she responded with a smile. _He and the others are excited, don't ruin it by being a nervous, fidgety mess._

…

"Hey guys," Angela smiled at them as they walked in, a full champagne glass in each hand. "So, I figured that if celebrities drink champagne and watch their stuff on the big screen the first time through, we should do the same." With that, she thrust the drinks into their hands and sauntered back over to the others. They had taken Angela's plush couches and chairs from one side of the room and placed them in front of the screen of the Angelatron.

"Um, Angela? This is really great and all, but-"

"Relax, Cam," Angela cut in before she could finish. "I put apple cider in Arastoo's glass. I may be a little 'under the influence,' but I didn't forget about the whole 'no alcohol' thing."

"Thank you, Angela," said Arastoo, taking Cam's hand and walking her over to the couch. They occupied one corner of the couch while Angela took the other. Hodgins' wheelchair was nestled between the couch and the armchair on its left where Brennan sat. Booth stood behind her with Aubrey, the former keeping one eye on Christine and Michael as they colored at Angela's desk. Hank slept soundly in a playpen near his sister.

"Okay, now that everybody's here," said Angela. "Let's do this thing!" A series of whoops and hollers were let off across the room. Cam and Arastoo shared a look. He put his arm around her shoulders and she nestled her head into his chest.

 _Here we go…_ they thought simultaneously.

…

For the most part, the showing went off without a hitch. Booth and Brennan continued their "debate" about "gut versus science" in short bursts, making the others laugh softly and shake their heads. The room went silent during the part of the show when the tragedies of the decade were recounted; it was around that time that a box of tissues made its way around the room. Finally, it was time for the ending montage. Everyone in the room seemed to duck their head in embarrassment when their respective responses came up, which only added to Cam's nervousness.

Arastoo's face came up on the screen, and Cam's hands started to shake. She clasped them in her lap to keep Angela, who hadn't moved from her nearby perch on the other end of the couch, would be unable to see them. Her gaze stayed fixed on her hands, even when one of Arastoo's hands came to rest there. He had done it to reassure her, yes, but also to quell his own nerves. He hadn't been at all nervous going into this, but now he could feel his heartbeat becoming rapid and his breath becoming shallower.

Their little audience gave an "aw" at Arastoo's answer, cringed when Cam showed up and he went off on the camerawoman, and finally…

 _"I love you. I-I love the way you protect me, and I love the way you fight for me, and I… I want to spend the rest of my life with you."_ Cam squeezed Arastoo's hand in both of hers, and he responded by planting a kiss on her temple.

 _"Wait, are you asking me if I'll-"_

 _"Marry me."_ Cam shut her eyes tightly as a series of gasps sounded across the room.

 _"U-uh…"_ Arastoo moved his eyes away from the screen, looking at anything besides the people moving their heads between him and his digital counterpart.

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Yes, yes of course!"_

There was a moment of silence as their figures kissed on screen. Suddenly, a pause symbol popped up on the screen, covering digital Cam's right ear.

"So,uh…" Cam started nervously, opening her eyes. She and Arastoo looked at each other for a split second before turning towards the others.

"…surprise?" Arastoo finished lamely.

 **A/N: So, that was a long chapter… with a cliffhanger. Please, don't shoot!**

 **Thanks to anyone that has reviewed and/or followed the story so far. Don't hesitate to give me input on things you liked, hated, or maybe just wished were a little bit different... Like I said last time, I enjoy knowing these things so that I can further improve my writing. Thanks, and see you next chapter!**


	3. Show Time, part 2

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, it's been a crazy few weeks. A lot has been happening at home that has left very little time or energy for writing. Things have settled down a bit, at least for now, so I should be a bit freer to write… Just to let you know, I'm planning on three or four more chapters after this. They'll be about telling Arastoo's parents, Hamid, and Michelle for sure, maybe someone else in Cam's family (Felicia, Cam's dad, maybe both). I know I left you on sort of a cliffhanger there last chapter, so I'm going to stop typing this now and get onto the story. Here you go!**

 **Chapter 3: Showtime, Part 2**

 _"So,uh…" Cam started nervously, opening her eyes. She and Arastoo looked at each other for a split second before turning towards the others._

 _"…surprise?" Arastoo finished lamely._

…

"Why are we all being silent?" asked Brennan, scanning the room with a puzzled look on her face. "I believe the appropriate response in this situation would be to congratulate Drs. Saroyan and Vaziri."

"Bones, Cam and Arastoo are your friends," replied Booth, turning his attention momentarily to his wife. "I don't think they mind if you call them by their first names." He turned back to the couple. "You don't mind, right? I mean, I know this is the workplace and all, but-"

"No, not at all," Cam said, while Arastoo shook his head from his place next to her. "Just as long as someone actually… you know, says something."

"Sorry!" Angela exclaimed, shaking herself out of thought and grinning from ear to ear. "I just… I guess I'm in shock. I always thought _you'd_ be the one to propose." She said, gesturing to Arastoo. "But still, I'm so happy for you guys!" Angela's words dissolved into what sounded like a mix between a squeal and a singer's high note. She pulled Cam, who was still next to her, away from Arastoo and into her arms.

Just like that, after Angela's loud and dramatic exclamation, the room sprang to life. Cam and Arastoo were pulled up from the couch to be hugged, congratulated, showered in tears by an inebriated Angela, or (in Arastoo's case) threatened by a protective Agent Booth. For a good ten minutes, they were kept on different sides of the room, casting glances at each other from the corners of their eyes.

"We're sorry we didn't tell you before," said Arastoo, who had finally managed to get back to Cam.

"Yes, absolutely," said Cam, nodding profusely and speaking quickly. "It's just that this was only yesterday, and when we heard that the studio wanted to give us an advance copy of the show, we knew we wouldn't have time to put something together before you all saw it, and-"

"Cam," Arastoo cut her off, giving her a look and putting an arm around her waist.

"Sorry," she said quietly, smiling despite herself. Arastoo took over from there.

"We didn't think putting something short-notice together would work out well, so we just decided to let the video tell you."

"Ah, that stuff doesn't matter," said Booth.

"Besides," Angela said. "You two were probably pretty busy last night, anyway…"

Cam began to blush and stutter, and Arastoo suddenly seemed to find Angela's walls and floor much more interesting than usual. The rest of the group laughed, eventually joined by the couple themselves.

"So," Hodgins said when the laughter died down. "You two planning on going ring shopping any time soon, or are you planning on using the ring Arastoo got before?"

"Wait," Angela said, not giving the couple a chance to answer. "One of you proposed before? Who? When?"

"That would be me," said Arastoo. "I didn't actually propose then…" He paused for a second to formulate a response. That point in time was hard for everyone, what with Booth going missing and Jared dying. The last thing he wanted to do was darken the mood by reminding everyone of it. "The timing was a bit… off. It was around the time Dr. Brennan came back to the Jeffersonian. Things were crazy, tensions were running high, and… it just wouldn't have felt right."

Just as Arastoo thought, the mood in the room became more muted and a bit somber. In an attempt to salvage the moment, Cam spoke up, saying, "We decided that we would use that ring, actually. We've already planned to take a little trip to Arastoo's storage locker this weekend on the way to see Arastoo's parents. The plan is to spend the weekend near their house and tell them the news over dinner or tea or something." At this, she and Arastoo exchanged looks. The thought made her just the tiniest bit nervous, and he knew that. In an attempt to ease her mind, he tightened the arm that was still stationed around her waist.

"Oh, have fun with that," said Angela. "If they react anything like my dad did when Jack and I got engaged.."

"What happened that was so bad?" Arastoo asked.

"Don't ask," said Cam and Hodgins at the same time, warranting a questioning look from Arastoo and Aubrey, neither of whom were around at that point in time.

"They're probably right," Angela conceded. "Stories about my dad are probably the last things that a groom-to-be should hear… How about we settle back in and finish this episode? Besides, I think the kids need to go home soon, anyway."

The adults turned their heads to look at the kids, noting with small smiles that Michael and Christine were sound asleep together in Angela's desk chair. Christine's head was on Michael's shoulder, his head resting on top of hers.

With murmurs of affirmation, the group settled back into their original places. Cam and Arastoo looked at each other and let out sighs of relief. With a few taps of her iPad-style remote, Angela had cued up the video to the beginning of Arastoo's answer in the montage.

"Wait, why did you back it up?" Cam asked.

"Aw, come on Camille," said Booth with a mischievous, little-brotherly smirk. "Did you really think we wouldn't watch the proposal again? I mean, how many times will we ever get to see _the_ Dr. Saroyan showing her personal side at work? It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Fine," Cam replied begrudgingly. "I guess I should have expected that… and don't call me Camille."

 **A/N: Okay… three down, at least three to go. I'm sorry if anyone is too out of character here, and that Aubrey didn't really get to do/say anything. I felt like he would've been invited because of his participation in the video, but he wouldn't really say much to Cam and Arastoo because of his fairly nonexistent relationship with them. Anyway, I'll see you next chapter!**


	4. Jewel Quest

**A/N: Hey guys! The timeline is getting a bit wonky, at least in my own head, so I figured I should lay it out for the benefit of all involved with this story. In my mind, they solved Bloom's murder in about two to three days starting on a Monday. That means that, if the advance episode was ready on the following day, it would be a Wednesday or Thursday that they told their friends. I'm counting on the episode being premiered for the public on a Saturday night, meaning they have to tell at least Michelle by then, if not Arastoo's family also.**

 **Here's hoping that made sense… Now, to the chapter!**

 **Chapter 4: Jewel Quest**

Cam felt herself recoil a bit at the loud squeal of the storage locker door. She had never been a fan of storage facilities; dead bodies tended to show up in them a tad too often for her liking. That on top of Cam's well-known arachnophobia and the thick layer of dust covering everything inside really did not help her feel any more comfortable with the situation.

To Arastoo's credit, there was not all that much in the storage locker and what was in it was arranged fairly neatly. There were a few small pieces of furniture and some small, dusty lamps in one corner, with stacks of boxes on the opposite wall. Most were housewarming gifts sent by various aunts, uncles, and cousins that simply wouldn't fit in his small apartment, Arastoo had explained on the ride over. Cam made a mental note to remember that some of these pieces were here. After all, they were both on government salary; the less they had to buy upon moving in together the better.

"Okay, let's see," Arastoo said, trailing off as he scanned the inside of the admittedly large locker. "I know I put it in one of the drawers in one of the dressers or bedside tables. Which one that is, I have no idea…"

"Well, then," Cam said, still not too keen on the idea of this place. "Let's hurry up and look through these drawers. This place gives me the creeps, and that's saying something for a coroner. Unless, of course, there's anything I shouldn't see…?"

"What? No, why would there be?"

"You said yourself on the way up here that the last time you came here was in college. I'm not sure about you, but I have some skeletons in the college-memory closet that need to stay there. Heaven forbid I stumble across one of yours while we're here…"

"Are you kidding? More often than not, I was the designated driver in my group of friends. The worst thing you're likely to find from that time of my life is a few blackmail pictures of them, or old poems I wrote."

With that, Cam and Arastoo set out to work. For a few minutes, they rummaged through the drawers full of old clothing and scraps of paper in a comfortable silence. It was Arastoo that broke said silence, smirking in the direction of the drawer he was rummaging through.

"You know you'll have to tell me about 'College Cam' eventually, right? With the wedding and all that, stories are bound to come up. Don't you think it's best if I hear these things from you instead of one of your old friends or roommates?"

"You may have a point," Cam said with a sigh, turning away from her drawer to face him. "Or I could just not invite anyone to the wedding that knew me in college…"

"You wouldn't do that," he said, glancing over at her.

"You sure? I'm certainly liking it better than the other option…"

Arastoo opened his mouth to reply, but was distracted by the feel of a small, square-shaped item in the drawer in front of him. Upon further inspection, it turned out to be exactly what he was looking for. His light, somewhat teasing tone from before sobered immediately.

"Cam, the vows we're about to take speak of accepting each other at our highs and our lows," he said, taking her hand and helping her up from the ground. "From here on out, I won't push you about what you do and don't choose to tell me about your past. I just want you to know that the things you tell me about who you used to be won't have the slightest inluence on how much I love the person that you are now. Okay?"

Cam could only nod in response, her features relaxing from the slightly irritated look she had been wearing before.

"Now," Arastoo said, sinking onto one knee and opening the ring box. "May I do the honors?"

"Of course," Cam said breathily, past the tightness in her throat.

Cam held out her left hand, and he slid the ring onto it. She blinked rapidly as he stood, hoping to ward off the tears. _Seriously,_ she thought to herself. _Tears? How much more cliché can I get?_

Arastoo put his hands on Cam's waist and pulled her close, pulling her from her thoughts as only he could. Their eyes met and Cam wrapped her arms around his neck. One last thought crossed through her mind before they kissed. _Damn… so_ this _is why clichés are so popular. I could definitely see myself getting used to this…_

…

By the time Cam and Arastoo got checked into their hotel, ordered room service, and got into their nightclothes, it was about ten o'clock in the evening.

"We really didn't have to spring for this expensive of a hotel room," Cam said from her place curled up against her fiancé's chest. "We're on a government salary as it is, and now we have a wedding to save for…"

"Exactly," Arastoo said, looking down at Cam. "From now until the wedding, whenever that may be, we are going to be pinching every penny. Call this a last hurrah until then. Or, if it still bothers you, think of it as a practice honeymoon…"

"Huh… interesting way of thinking about it," Cam said, leaning up and pulling Arastoo down for a kiss. "What exactly are we practicing?"

"Oh, I think you can guess," replied Arastoo, kissing her this time. They kissed for what felt like hours; another cliché that Cam decided she that she did not mind in the slightest. It looked like they would, indeed, get in some honeymoon practice, until…

 _Buzz, buzz._

They broke apart, groaning in annoyance, and reached for their respective phones.

"Wasn't me for once," Cam said, putting her phone back on the nightstand.

"Yeah… that was mine," Arastoo replied. "My parents want to know when we'll be over tomorrow."

"How about we go over to their house for lunch? I haven't been there, and your mother mentioned that she wanted to teach me a recipe or two in person…"

"It'll probably another wedding dish, knowing her," Arastoo said, typing a response.

"Yeah… but at least it'll be warranted this time, right?"

"That it will," Arastoo trailed off, looking dreamily at a spot on the wall across from their bed. "It's weird to think about, isn't it? Our wedding?"

"Totally," Cam agreed, nodding. "But it's a good weird, right?"

"Absolutely," said Arastoo, turning back to her and smiling. His phone buzzed again, and he looked down to read his mother's reply. "Looks like we're on for tomorrow at twelve o'clock, their place…"

"Okay," said Cam. "In that case, we should probably get some rest." Cam rolled onto her other side, placing her engagement ring on the bedside table and turning off the small table lamp. After murmuring in agreement, Arastoo did the same with his lamp. They rolled back over to face each other at the same time, almost bumping heads. With a light laugh, they leaned in to kiss each other one last time before resuming their original position with Cam's head on Arastoo's chest.

"Goodnight, Cam," Arastoo said, lips against the top of her head.

"Goodnight, Arastoo," replied Cam. Before letting her admittedly heavy eyelids drift closed, she cast one last glance at the engagement ring on her bedside table. With a small smile on her face, she drifted off to sleep.

 **A/N: I know, I know… cheesy as all hell and long overdue. What can I say, though? Sappy, soppy romance is really fun to write! The next chapter will be likely feature Arastoo's parents. Did anyone else see the new Star Trek movie? I kind of flipped when I saw that the actress that plays Azita is in it… internally, of course. Otherwise, I imagine I would've had popcorn thrown at me** ** _at the very least_** **for interrupting the movie on opening day…**

 **Anyway, I'll see you next chapter!**

 **-Emilia**


	5. Meet the In-Laws, part 1

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I've been gone for so long… A lot of things have happened since I posted the last chapter. In the following, I will be writing about Cam and Arastoo's lunch with his parents. I think I'll be doing Hamid next, then Michelle. Any other chapters will be by request, so if you have any other ideas, let me know.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the anything that you recognize from the TV show Bones (characters, locations, etc.).**

 **Thanks for reading, and enjoy!**

 **Chapter 5: Meet the In-Laws, Part 1**

Azita knew Arastoo like she knew the back of her hand. So, when Arastoo called and asked whether he could bring Cam over, she knew immediately that it was for more than the routine visit. Azita and Hrmin were always the ones to call and initiate visits from Arastoo, and it usually took quite a lot of extra maneuvering to get him to bring Cam as well. If Arastoo was the one asking about a visit, something _must_ be going on. Azita was sure of it.

"I am telling you, Hrmin, something is happening with them," said Azita, setting the dining room table. "How often is it that Arastoo asks _us_ for a visit instead of the other way around? And how often is it when he does visit that he brings Camille without us asking?"

"I understand, Azita," said Hrmin, walking up behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "And I agree, something is different. Even so, we must not jump to conclusions. After all, they only just got back together after all that time apart. For all we know, he is just bringing Cam over because we haven't seen her in so long."

"You're right," Azita sighed and turned around to face him. His hands found their way back to her shoulders, while hers came to rest on his chest. "I suppose I am just letting my hopes get the better of me. She's so good for him Hrmin, and I do not want him to lose her again."

"I know, aziz-am. But they are _strong_ together… Even if they are not engaged, I do not think he will allow himself to lose her again."

"I hope you are right about that," said Azita in a somewhat teasing voice.

"How could I not be?" asked Hrmin, releasing her shoulders to hold out his arms. "He is my son!"

"That," said Azita with a smirk, "is exactly that I am worried about."

Hrmin put a hand to his chest as though wounded, then bent down to kiss his wife's temple. Both still chuckling a bit, they resumed preparing the meal and tidying the common areas a bit for their son's visit.

…

"You ready?" Arastoo asked, grasping Cam's right hand in his left as they stood on his parents' doorstep.

"As I'll ever be," Cam answered nervously. She shot him a nervous smile before reaching her left hand into her bag to feel for the ring box once again. Both of them had seen the not-so-subtle glances that Azita cast at Cam's left hand every time they visited, so they made the decision to keep the ring in Cam's bag until they had a chance to tell their news. They had also brought a laptop with the proposal clip on it. This way, they would not have to answer a lot of questions about the proposal; after all, it had worked with their friends…

"You don't have to be nervous," Arastoo said, squeezing Cam's hand and smiling warmly at her. "My parents absolutely adore you."

"I know that, but this is the first time that I've seen them since before we broke up before… What if they think we haven't been back together long enough?"

"Are you kidding?" Arastoo asked incredulously. "They've been dying for one of us to propose since they met you. Do you not remember my mother asking about us having children not ten minutes into knowing you?"

"How could I forget?" Cam chuckled, seeming to relax a bit. "I know there's nothing to worry about. But you _do_ know how I am with telling people big, personal stuff."

"I know. Just remember that we're in this together, okay?" Arastoo asked with another squeeze of her hand. Cam nodded, and Arastoo pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before ringing the doorbell. Less than five seconds later, Hrmin opened the door with a warm smile. If Arastoo's hunch was correct, Hrmin had seen them come up the walkway and had allowed them to have their little talk before he came to the door. It seemed like something his father would do.

Hrmin ushered them inside, where they were both greeted enthusiastically by Azita. As usual, she glanced "subtly" towards Cam's left hand.

Cam and Arastoo shared a look. _Here we go…_

…

After lunch, Azita took the dishes to the kitchen and returned with a pot of tea. Cam had tried to volunteer to help, but was shot down before she had even gotten the sentence out. This had become something of a routine from the times that Cam and Arastoo had visited before. Even though she knew the outcome, Cam would ask every time. She did not know why she did it, as she knew what the outcome would be, but she supposed there was something comforting about the familiar exchange.

"Hrmin," Azita called from the kitchen, followed by something in Farsi that Cam did not understand. Hrmin called out a response, again in Farsi, then let out a fake sigh and eyeroll before getting up from his seat and heading towards the kitchen. Arastoo laughed quietly and watched him go. As soon as they were alone, Cam turned to Arastoo with a confused look.

"She's making him go help with the tea," Arastoo clarified. "When I was a little kid, he'd roll his eyes and sigh and all that as though helping my mother in the kitchen was the biggest inconvenience he could imagine. If she saw him do it, she would get cross with him, and Hamid and I would just stifle our laughter as best we could. If she didn't see him… well, we still couldn't outright laugh about it, but it felt like this giant secret that we got to keep with our dad."

Cam smiled at this. It was always nice hearing about happy memories from Arastoo's childhood. There was something refreshing about knowing that even with the war going on around them, the Vaziri family could still make happy memories together.

"So, I was thinking," Arastoo continued. "Maybe we can go set up the laptop in the sitting room and show my parents the final montage from the show."

"Good idea," said Cam. "The less fumbling with words I have to do the better. I mean, normally I'm pretty eloquent. But, when I'm nervous…"

"Gee, never would've guessed that," Arastoo said with a smirk. Cam gave him a look, gave his shoulder a light shove, then stood up from her chair. Arastoo did the same. "I'll go let my parents know to meet us in the sitting room."

"Okay," she replied, slinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder and leaning up for a quick kiss before making her way to the sitting room.

 **A/N: Sorry to split it up into two parts again. I just felt like the chapter would have been too long to try to fit everything in. Either that, or I would end up rushing the chapter's ending and making it really rushed. Neither of those seemed desirable, so I decided to make it a two-parter. See you next time!**


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